3 hours ago, okie1 said:

Cal's message got stale and his last couple of teams underachieved in March...however, the guy is a top tier Coach and recruiter.  I don't know how anyone can seriously argue that.  Cal also did a great job of getting stars to play team ball for the most part.

Cal tried the portal with Grady, Sestina, Big O, Frederick, Reeves, Mitchell ( I may be leaving some out)...I don't think that was lost on him...

But it is apparrent now that BBN was ready for a change and behind the scenes, Cal had worn thin on a lot of folks.

This! The man has won everywhere he has coached, including Umass which no coach really ever wins at. Which he was winning there long before he had rosters full of McDonalds all Americans. Somewhere along the way though people forgot that he was successful even before UK and having rosters full of top guys. Which even at UK he was winning and doing great up until Covid. Now after Covid, college basketball got a lot older in a hurry. Which even then he produced two very good teams, but simply got upset. Which all coaches have had stretches like that where they have lost to double digit seeds in the first round, and not make it past the first weekend for a few years. 
 

While I think it was probably best for both parties to move on. I do think he is going to do very well at Arkansas and is going to be a race between him and Pitino to see who will be the first to take a fourth team to a final four. Which I believe both Cal and Pitino will eventually take Arkansas and St. John’s to a final four. Just depends who gets there first. 

Reed just announced on Instagram, that he's going to the NBA.

Cal is gone, Pope is the new coach at Ky.

1 minute ago, nikeman49 said:

Cal is gone, Pope is the new coach at Ky.

Hopefully the hardcore side of BBN will give him a chance  

1 hour ago, futurecoach said:

This! The man has won everywhere he has coached, including Umass which no coach really ever wins at. Which he was winning there long before he had rosters full of McDonalds all Americans. Somewhere along the way though people forgot that he was successful even before UK and having rosters full of top guys. Which even at UK he was winning and doing great up until Covid. Now after Covid, college basketball got a lot older in a hurry. Which even then he produced two very good teams, but simply got upset. Which all coaches have had stretches like that where they have lost to double digit seeds in the first round, and not make it past the first weekend for a few years. 
 

While I think it was probably best for both parties to move on. I do think he is going to do very well at Arkansas and is going to be a race between him and Pitino to see who will be the first to take a fourth team to a final four. Which I believe both Cal and Pitino will eventually take Arkansas and St. John’s to a final four. Just depends who gets there first. 

Might be a case of whether Cal’s recruiting or Rick’s coaching will win out. 

Just now, mcpapa said:

Hopefully the hardcore side of BBN will give him a chance  

He will earn his trust with good Ky fans.

37 minutes ago, nikeman49 said:

Cal is gone, Pope is the new coach at Ky.

True. It sucks you were right about Reed returning though. That would have been huge to have him back. 

1 hour ago, Jumper_Dad said:

Reed just announced on Instagram, that he's going to the NBA.

I really do hope I’m wrong on this but I just feel 6-7 years down the road (maybe sooner) he is going to regret this decision. If his family needed the money I would feel differently but they don’t, wish him good luck, seems like a great kid

52 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

I really do hope I’m wrong on this but I just feel 6-7 years down the road (maybe sooner) he is going to regret this decision. If his family needed the money I would feel differently but they don’t, wish him good luck, seems like a great kid

That's possible IMO, but he is a much better athlete than many realize so I think he could also have a 10 year or more career. He really has no choice. He is a top 10 pick in every mock draft I have seen and top 5 in many. On the money side, it isn't about what he makes in the NBA next year. It is about getting another year on the back side when he is making huge dollars. Going in now gets him to an extra year of the big money, and gets him to the big money faster.

2 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

That's possible IMO, but he is a much better athlete than many realize so I think he could also have a 10 year or more career. He really has no choice. He is a top 10 pick in every mock draft I have seen and top 5 in many. On the money side, it isn't about what he makes in the NBA next year. It is about getting another year on the back side when he is making huge dollars. Going in now gets him to an extra year of the big money, and gets him to the big money faster.

Agreed. He was probably leaving either way, but probably didn’t help the chances of him staying since every single teammate he had this year and even coaches are now gone. So if your going to experience something completely new next year, might as well do it as a lottery pick. 

52 minutes ago, futurecoach said:

Agreed. He was probably leaving either way, but probably didn’t help the chances of him staying since every single teammate he had this year and even coaches are now gone. So if your going to experience something completely new next year, might as well do it as a lottery pick. 

And with a boatload of money. 

As of today, there are no scholarship players remaining from the 23-24 squad.  Which very well could be a good thing. 

How long do we have to wait before we hear this line:

We may not have better players but we have a better coach.

 

On 4/18/2024 at 5:38 PM, 16thBBall Fan said:

I really do hope I’m wrong on this but I just feel 6-7 years down the road (maybe sooner) he is going to regret this decision. If his family needed the money I would feel differently but they don’t, wish him good luck, seems like a great kid

What is there to really regret about leaving if you’re are going to be a lottery pick? The only thing that possibly could regret is missing out on possibly being a legendary star. With that said coming back also could have led to injury, and draft stock falling. He is not going to become a better player by staying. He will develop more in the NBA, and now gets closer to that second contract. There is very little to regret about leaving if you are a guarantee lottery pick. The NBA is the ultimate dream for kids. 
 

I know Mark Pope has said the right things, in regards to what fans what to hear like getting players that care about the name across the chest more than the NBA. However, this Reed Sheppard decision kind of shows it’s not reality getting players that care more about the name Kentucky across their chest than getting to the NBA. While playing for Kentucky is a dream for Ky kids, having a chance to play in the NBA is even a bigger dream even for Ky kids. 

4 hours ago, futurecoach said:

What is there to really regret about leaving if you’re are going to be a lottery pick? The only thing that possibly could regret is missing out on possibly being a legendary star. With that said coming back also could have led to injury, and draft stock falling. He is not going to become a better player by staying. He will develop more in the NBA, and now gets closer to that second contract. There is very little to regret about leaving if you are a guarantee lottery pick. The NBA is the ultimate dream for kids. 
 

I know Mark Pope has said the right things, in regards to what fans what to hear like getting players that care about the name across the chest more than the NBA. However, this Reed Sheppard decision kind of shows it’s not reality getting players that care more about the name Kentucky across their chest than getting to the NBA. While playing for Kentucky is a dream for Ky kids, having a chance to play in the NBA is even a bigger dream even for Ky kids. 

Like I said, I hope I’m wrong